September is New Year’s

Happy New Year!  You see, September always feels like New Year’s to me after my school years, then college, then becoming a teacher.  Later, it felt like New Year’s when I sent my kids back to school  … which at that time was September, but now, for many students, is mid-August.  You financial types also experience the fiscal new year at this time.

This New Year’s (September) started with a bang for us:  an early morning phone call on Labor Day weekend with a list of woes to be righted!  Nothing life-shattering, but there were matters to attend to, nuisance issues to handle, on a holiday weekend.  Frankly, troubles continue to pop up and I share this because I know you, my readers, face the same, and you’ll understand why I’m finally getting back to my blog.

September, like New Year’s, urges a return to routine.  My “A Writer’s Daughter” blog encourages the routine of being in Scripture, the book God authored for us. I came across some good insights on Bible reading this summer that I would like to share, written by J. D. Walt* (Wake-Up Call).

“’Meditate on it day and night.’ (Joshua 1 v 8)  Do you know when that is?  Yep.  Always.  It is always either day or night.  But this little word – meditate– might mean more than you think it does.  Many Eastern religions have laid claim to the concept of meditation.  The biblical idea of meditation, as I understand it, is quite different.  Meditation is often an attempt to empty one’s mind.  The biblical practice of meditation is about filling one’s mind- with the Word of God.

“The Hebrew word (transliterated) hagah is pronounced “daw-gaw.”  It means “to growl, utter, speak, or muse.”  And, yes, you read it right, “to growl.”  The biblical concept of meditation carries the image of a lion growling over, eating, and savoring its freshly caught prey.  We so often think of the Word of God as duty we must exercise.  The Spirit teaches us that the Word of God is a meal to be savored and enjoyed.  Recall the signature instruction of Psalm 1: “But whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.” (bolding mine)

“I have a working rubric that helps me engage the Word of God over time, and it has led me from a disciplined, dutiful reading of Scripture to a deeply delighted and desirous appetite for God’s Word.  The hand is the mnemonic device with each finger representing a sequential step of engagement.  And, of course, it is alliterated, each beginning with the letter r.

Little finger:  Read (mouth)

Ring finger:  Ruminate (meditate)

Middle finger:  Rememberize (slowly load the long-term memory)

Index finger:  Research (dig deeper)

Thumb: Rehearse (do it)”

May we all be encouraged to make time in God’s Word this New Year as part of our regular routine, in a delighted, enjoyable set aside time, and through on-going, joyful meditation.

*Walt,  J. D.  “Growling in the Word of God,”  August 1, 2025.  Wake-up Call, Seedbed.com

Here is the link:  Growling in the Word of God

Author: Brenda Proulx

Wife, mother and grandmother, educator and someone who thinks about the things I observe. I am the daughter of a writer; my dad's career was in the field of journalism. More significantly, I am God's child, a person believing in Jesus Christ and in His timeless Word. Blogging is new to me but I feel like I've always had a pen in my hand. I jot notes in my planner, mark papers, underline verses, write many letters, and occasionally draft articles for work or church. When I am not holding a pen, I am probably cuddling a mug of coffee. View all posts by Brenda Proulx